It is generally known to apply a treatment fluid, such as a herbicide, insecticide, bactericide, fertilizer or the like, to vegetation for the purpose of retarding the growth, enhancing the growth and/or promoting the health of the vegetation, as desired. In most cases, the treatment fluid is applied by spraying a liquid solution including the diluted treatment fluid onto the vegetation. Even though the solution containing the treatment fluid is diluted, spraying inherently results in significant waste of the treatment fluid since application of the solution cannot be confined onto the vegetation. Furthermore, diluting the solution containing the treatment fluid may result in an ineffective amount of the treatment fluid being applied to the vegetation.
It is also generally known to apply a treatment fluid directly onto vegetation as the vegetation is cut, trimmed, pruned or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 6,990,770 issued Jan. 31, 2006, to Terrell discloses an apparatus for trimming and chemically treating trees. The apparatus is mounted on a boom extending from a truck and includes a saw blade assembly with limb clamping jaws and a sprayer assembly having a nozzle for administering a chemical treatment fluid onto the vegetation adjacent the saw blade as the tree limb is cut. U.S. Pat. No. 4,891,882 issued Jan. 9, 1990, to Bloom et al., as well as U.S. Pat. No. 8,181,351 B1 issued May 22, 2012, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,621,752 B1 issued Jan. 7, 2014, to Brim, III, each disclose an apparatus for applying a treatment fluid to one or more of the blades of a cutting implement, such as pruning shears, clippers, or the like, utilized to cut plants.
Citrus greening disease, also known as Huanglongbing (HLB) or yellow dragon disease, is one of the most serious citrus plant diseases ever known to mankind. Once a citrus tree is infected with the disease, there is no cure. Citrus greening disease is believed to be caused by the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus. The disease has adversely affected citrus production around the world, and first reached the southern Florida region of the United States in August, 2005. Since that time, citrus greening disease has spread into the southeastern United States and millions of citrus trees have been lost to the disease. Citrus greening disease is currently managed by a topical application of insecticides intended to control the Asian citrus psyllid population believed to be primarily responsible for transmitting the disease. Control of the psyllid population alone, however, has not stopped the spread of citrus greening disease. Although there is no cure yet known for citrus trees infected with citrus greening disease, research suggests that healthy trees may be inoculated against the disease by application of a treatment fluid, for example via antibiotic pulse treatments (APTs) of penicillin-G, streptomycin, oxytetracycline (OTC) and the like.
The most efficient and cost effective process for introducing a treatment fluid to vegetation is through the plant's vascular system. In vascular plants, the xylem and phloem tissues act as the conducting elements for translocating water, nutrients, sugars, proteins and ribonucleic acid (RNA) throughout the plant. In particular, the phloem is the tissue in vascular plants that conducts organic nutrients from the leaves and other photosynthetic tissues to all parts of the plant, including the roots. The phloem are best accessed at the moment the vegetation is cut, trimmed, pruned or the like. Accordingly, a treatment fluid delivered to the vascular tissues of a vascular plant as the vegetation is cut, trimmed or pruned is most likely to be conducted by the phloem to the roots of the plant. Unfortunately, the existing apparatus for applying a treatment fluid to vegetation as it is cut, trimmed or pruned are not well suited for use with citrus trees on the large scale necessary to combat citrus greening disease. In particular, the existing apparatus utilize the blades of conventional pruning shears or clippers (e.g., Bloom, Brim, III) and apply a treatment fluid from a relatively small reservoir containing the treatment fluid onto one or more of the blades as the vegetation is cut. Alternatively, existing apparatus utilize a relatively large saw blade mounted on a boom extending from a truck and spray the treatment fluid adjacent the saw blade as the tree limb is cut (e.g., Terrell).
Accordingly, what is needed is an improved apparatus, system and method for applying a treatment fluid to vegetation as the vegetation is cut, trimmed, pruned or the like. An apparatus, system and method for applying a treatment fluid to vegetation as the vegetation is cut, trimmed, pruned or the like is also needed that is both efficient and cost effective. More particularly, an apparatus, system and method for delivering a treatment fluid to citrus trees exposed to citrus greening disease is needed that is compact and that delivers only a therapeutically effective amount of the treatment fluid directly into vascular tissues of the citrus tree at the time a limb of the citrus tree is cut, trimmed, pruned or the like.
Certain aspects, objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be made apparent, or will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the relevant art, as exemplary embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawing figures are described in greater detail hereinafter. It is intended that all such aspects, objects, features and advantages of the invention envisioned by this disclosure of exemplary embodiments be encompassed by the scope of protection of the appended claims, given their broadest reasonable construction and interpretation in view of the prior art. These aspects, objects, features and advantages of the invention, as well as others not expressly disclosed, may be accomplished by the exemplary embodiments described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Nevertheless, it should be understood and appreciated that the written description and drawing figures are for illustrative purposes only, and that many modifications, changes, revisions and substitutions may be made to any of the exemplary embodiments without departing from the broad, general concepts of the invention.